Two men on trial for a ghastly crime: The alleged first-degree murder of a handsome young Winnipeg man, Chad Davis, who went missing for months and was found July 23, 2008 in a barrel plucked from the Lee River.

Corey Tymchyshyn and Kristopher Brincheski are accused and presumed innocent.

This is a comprehensive recap of the second week of evidence heard in this complex and unusual case.

Allegations made in the Crown’s opening argument can befound here [required reading, really].

Just a handful of Free Press articles summing up the case so far can be found here, here and here:

I’d note that some of this week’s evidence is abrreviated somewhat, such as the areas where scientists list off their qualifications and research histories to be qualified as experts in court. Also, some of Sgt. Hooker’s agreed facts aren’t listed, as well as some from CoreyTymchyshen’s ex-girlfriend. George Lancaster’s cross-examination was also truncated by me to a very minor degree because it was going over areas (there’s two sets of defence lawyers) he’d already answered to. DAY 6:

RCMP Cpl. Maria Forester (third appearance)

She visited Dino’s Storage on Orange St. on Aug. 21, 2008, 10:12 a.m.

She got key for locker #339 from a colleague.

Lockers have open ceilings.

She couldn’t recall what kind of door the locker had.

The door had a gold coloured padlock on it.

“There was nothing. The locker was empty.”

She still examined it, using white light forensic technique.

There were four areas of staining inside, a hemostick test for blood was negative.

A blood reagent test was also negative.

They were there about two hours or so.

On Sept. 5, 2008, she went to 52 Beeston Dr. (Brincheski’s place at the time) to take photos as serious crime unit officers did a search.

At 5:25 p.m. she arrived, scene already taped off.

The home was a duplex with brown trim.

Other officers pointed out items of interest.

Basement was a finished basement, with a bedroom in southwest corner and a washroom off of that.

Search began in shed, proceeded to house and then back to shed.

Photo #4 was of two boxes, one with a heating pad inside. [Trial exhibit 24]

Photo #28 was of a pink pillow. [Trial exhibit 22]

She couldn’t say how big the shed was.

Photo #30 was of posters inside a box. Box has same company name on it as used at the Davis family’s business.

Photo #5 was of upper bedroom, where a JVC DVD player [Exhibit #39 in the trial] was found.

“That’s the guy who’s charged.” (When asked why now Kris’s name is used).

Again says he can’t remember when Davis got there, but is “100 per cent” sure he was there. “Kris wasn’t there when Chad arrived.”

Told police it could have been 10 mins, maybe an hour between ‘Bern/Kris” departure and Davis’s arrival.

Agrees 703 Prince Rupert is a “very big house.”

It “sounds about right” that it’s 35 feet or so from the couch he was on to the kitchen island where he overheard the comment.

In Oct. 2008 told RCMP “I did not know Chad Davis.”

In Feb. 2012 statement, said that he knew Chad, had shaken his hand and met him three times, that he was “very respectful.”

In 2008, told police he couldn’t hear anything being said at the island, that it could be because it was 35 feet away and the TV was on.

“No I do not” just make stuff up.

Admits if he had drugs at the time, he’d consume them till they were gone.

It was a lie to tell police there were no drugs in the house.

It’s true, he’d sometimes do the odd line of cocaine with Tymchyshyn, but not often, because Tymchyshyn “Was cheap.”

Never saw ‘clones’ [baby pot plants] in 703 Prince Rupert, but suggestion was that there were some.

Yes, Davis’s black bag could have had clones inside. “I never looked in the bag.”

He’s questioned about how the “don’t miss” became seared in his mind, but had no knowlege that anything had happened to Davis that day and he had “no idea” where he went to. So why would that be seared in your mind? “I don’t know.”

Yes, Tymchyshyn’s mom had called the cops on him and had his guns taken away. He was pissed off. “I guess so,” he says when asked if that’s when he started coming up with new information.

Says he doesn’t know why he’d lie to police about their not being a landline phone in the house.

No, the times he’s given in his statements are not all that accurate.

It’s possible he could have shared a joint that morning with Tymchyshyn and Kris.

Yes, he used to hang with dangerous people sometimes, it’s possible he could have told “Bern” how to hit someone so they couldn’t fight back.

No, he didn’t call Kris a number of times after Chad left to make sure he was OK.

Obliquely agrees that marijuana can affect memory.

He didn’t see Davis drive up in the Jeep as it was in the backyard.

In October 208, couldn’t be specific with police when he drove the Jeep, telling them: “All I know is day, light, drunk or not drunk.”

He can’t remember what was on TV that morning.

It was a deliberate lie to not mention “Bern” in his first police statement. He didn’t want to come to court.

Agrees by the time he gave 2nd statement, he was aware he was going to have to testify, but lied anyway.

“I have no idea” why he continued to lie.

No, one can’t see out of the back of the house, and you can’t see the back lane from inside the house.

Remembers nothing more about the fire in Wpg. Beach.

You lose things, don’t you? (details, memories). “I guess so.”

Agrees he didn’t go to RCMP to tell them what he knew after deciding to come clean and do the right thing.

He doesn’t recall telling police in conversation that he saw someone handling the body.

“No, I didn’t” see that.

Yes, he stayed out of Tymchyshyn’s business, and “purposely” tried not to hear what was going on.

“E” Quadrant: the northwest corner, a number of areas fluoresced after items moved out of way. SIx separate markers were placed in this area (it butts against overhead doorway).

Sgt. Hooker obtained the swabs, several were taken of areas of interest.

Sept. 9: A “Star Choice” box in garage presumptively tests positive for blood. A short piece of cut wire “from a cord” is seized.

Insulation is tested, negative results.

There’s a positive test on a roll of clear plastic.

Reattended into house to take further pictures.

Left scene at 5:35 p.m.

Yes, many things appeared initially significant, but ended up being nothing at all.

Yes, only a scientist could explain the significance of any results from testing of areas of interest.

Day 10Agreed facts from Sgt. Randy Hooker

That between Sept. 8 and 9, 2008, did forensic testing in the garage at 703 Prince Rupert Ave.

Nine swabs of items in total were sent to lab for analysis, including four swabs of Quadrant “E.”

Dr. Greg Litzenberger, RCMP biology section

Gives lengthy explanation to jury on DNA, how it’s collected and how it can persist for a long period of time, but can be degraded through natural elements like “freeze-thaw cycle” and active wind and water.

DNA cannot be timestamped.

That RCMP “presumptive” blood testing through Hemosticks process is not definitive of anything.

He did five separate reports in the Davis case regarding analysis he did.

He was given a control sample of Davis’s DNA to work with.

Police sample 435, taken from Quadrant “E” in the garage, was confirmed to be blood.

It matched the DNA profile extracted from the control sample from Davis.

“The profiles were the same. They matched one another.”

The statistical probability of selecting an unrelated Caucasian male from the Canadian population that had the same DNA was 1 in 220 Billion.

It would be expected that DNA could be extracted from such a small drop of blood.

You would “absolutely not” need a pool of blood to extract DNA from blood.

He cannot say when the blood drop got there, or under what circumstances.

He cannot say if efforts had been made to clean up other blood.

Blood can be cleaned up with simple water, depending on how soaked into a material it is.

Asked if he’s be surprised there was only one blood drop if there had been a “major bloodletting event” in the garage, he says: “Not necessarily, I don’t know what happened in the scenario – what happened in the interim – I don’t know. Without knowing anything else that happened, you can’t make any assumptions on that.”

Yes, there was staining seen by officers that was not blood.

The DNA profile on the toque belonged to an “unknown male” that was not Chad Davis.

The blood swab from shower curtain in the house proper was a mixed profile.

He was able to extract 1.92 nanograms of DNA from the Davis blood drop.

Mold in a grow op could complicate testing.

There was no human DNA on the plastic bits he tested.

There was no DNA found on the “Star Choice” box despite police asking him to look again when the first test came back negative.